Aloy Ejimakor, counsel to detained Indigenous People of Biafra leader Nnamdi Kanu, has warned President Bola Tinubu and Southeast politicians that failing to release his client could cost them support in the 2027 general elections.
In a post on X on Thursday, Ejimakor said: “Southeast politicians, aspiring to contest the 2027 elections should bear this in mind: If MAZI NNAMDI KANU is not freed in the near term, it will ruin your chances in the 2027 elections. Don’t ask me how. The same fate awaits President Tinubu, because SE will remember.”
Kanu is currently serving a life sentence after being tried for terrorism and treasonable felony.
Ejimakor recently argued that the 2017 proscription of IPOB as a terrorist group was politically motivated and aimed at suppressing legitimate political dissent by the Igbo people.
In an opinion piece, he cited positions by international bodies and Nigerian courts that have questioned the terror tag.
He referenced an October 1, 2020 communication from multiple UN Special Rapporteurs urging Nigeria to reconsider the proscription, warning it should not be used to “quell legitimate political opinion and expression.”
He also cited Opinion No. 25/2022 by the UN Human Rights Council, which declared Kanu’s detention arbitrary and demanded his unconditional release and compensation.
Ejimakor further noted that on October 26, 2023, the Enugu State High Court in Suit No. E/20/2023 declared the 2017 proscription of IPOB “illegal, unconstitutional, null and void,” awarded N8 billion in damages to Kanu, and ordered a public apology. The court ruled the proscription violated Section 42 of the 1999 Constitution.
He pointed out that neither the United States nor the United Kingdom has designated IPOB a terrorist organisation, despite lobbying by Nigeria.
“De-proscription is not clemency; it is justice. It restores constitutional equality, complies with binding international opinions, and ends the weaponisation of anti-terror laws against one ethnic group,” Ejimakor said, calling on the Federal Government to repeal the proscription, release those held solely for IPOB affiliation, and engage in genuine dialogue.
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